The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-21
FOREST FIRES.
They Continue in Arkansas.
Thousands of Dollars Worth of
Property Destroyed.
Impossible to Estimate the Losses
Sustained by Farmers.
Millions of Feet Of the Finest Cy-
press Timber Consumed.
Hundreds of Farm Houses Swept
from the Face of the Earth.
Misery, Desolatian and Devasta-
ton Spread in AL Directions.
Bridges ON the K. O., M. & B. and
NJ. 81 L. r. Roads Burned.
Fires Raging in the Tallahatohie
Valley, Mississippi.
Railroad Engineers Feel Like They Are
Driving Through Continuous
Tunnel - Steamboat Naviuation
Fires Raging in the Tallahatchie
Valley, Mississippi.
Railroad Engineers Feel Like They Are
Driving Through a Continuous
Tunnel - Steamboat Navigation
Becomes Precarious on Ac-
count of the Smoke.


have become a soune Of great anxiety to
people in all parts Of that State, and no
little discomfort and inconvenience from
the effects Of the dense clouds OF smoke
which extend TO great distance east Of
Memphis is felt by the people Of Ten
nessce and Mississippi. The loss Of prop
criy-houses, barnes, fences and crops
from these fires are incstimable and dis
couraGng II Is not difficult TO realize the
terrible picture Of an approaching forest
fire, coming ON slowly but surely in its
awful grandeur, and To realize that it is
only matter OF n very few hours until the
results OF ones ycan oi labor are wholly
destroyed, yet this has been the expert
encc of many Arkansas fathers aud hus-
bands in the last week.
Added toallthc misery, suTcringand loss
oi property IL absence OF water. No rain
has fallen for weeks, everything is parchcd
and as diy a. tindcr, Us II in preparation
for the ruthless enemy of devastation
which has come down upon the uniortu-
nate people. The only hope now is rain.
The continuation III these disastrous
iircs Is seriously interrupting railroad
travel and traffic on nearly AL Of the
lines leading int and from this city. The
burning oi the four mile tp,tlc work Of
the Kansas City road, just east oi the -.
Francis river, this side ot Forrest
City Ark., oi saturday night has
materially affected the operations nf that
road out oi the city. The damage done To
the long trc-ilcway IL not readily ascertain.
u III Ia Il
it will ba iutf or live DAYS before that ruad
can run ouc or bring in iis regular Trains,
either freight or "a scngcr
In orlcT tu accommodate their custom,
and when II was seen that saturday morn.
ing's train could not make rs way through
the fire and smoke. aside from the burning
oi the bridge, the officers Of the company
nptly succeeded in peIiccting an arrange
mcnt with the Memphis q Little Rock
railroad whereby they could run their
trains over that road 10 Forrest City, Ark,
and there transfer them on the regular
route, which Is out Of the territory
OF the fire. Notwithstanding this ar
'rangomont, the Kansas City passenger and
freight tTning did not leave the city last
night, though II is expected that they will
leave early this morning. The Memphis
< Little Rcck tulin, which was due here
Saturday night NJ q o'clock, did not AZ
rive until late Yesterday afternoon, being
detained by frcs on both sides of the
track, which were either burning the cross
ties or closely mcnacing them.
The smoke arising from the fire IN thp
burning district Is simply awful and
Sitting 20 pasangcfs and trainmen. The
Memphis 4 Charleston trains, which have
also been delayed, went out on regular
time lat night, and the iins along that
line are under control. The Louisville 4
Nashville Trains have been interrupted
but little by fire, and arc running
regularly. The &. q q. system has
hso escaped with little tardincss, and its
tnins.are regular The L., \. 4 I. has
not been clceled by the iurcst lircs, and
its trains run ON schedule time. The
amount OF damage which has been done
10 the property OF the several railroads Is
imp1ssihle 20 estimate, but II II sale TO SAY
that il will take several hundred thousand
dollars 10 cover II.
For thc past six days forest fires have
bccn uping among the hills and in th,
bottoms of the Red and Sulphur riyers,
near Texafkana, sweeping everything be-
fore them, tapping mp vast canc.brakcs
where thoCXuds oi head OF cattle have
been duartcrcd for the wintor-yisiting ex
tonsiyc farms, and leaving In It's track
blackencd runs OF homes, fencing and
plantation out-hoUscs. All available hell
u employed In the effort 10 stay the mad
dcncd flames from the better protected
hill lands.
The report comes in that largo number
of cattle and hogs and other stock hay,
been burned, aud now the flames ar,
reaching out upon the hills, cnyclopnl
everything before them. The density o
the smoke Is so strong from the burning
timbors, and being 10 oppressive that sew
eral parties have barely escaped huliOca
ton, and unlefs an early rain sets In the
los oi life and destruction Of pfopori!
must be great. Tho origin Ol these fire
is chargrablo 90 acts OF the numcrou
tramps scattered along the railroads.
There is much alarm felt nt Icuyyilll
about the fires which are spreading IN th
forests, and The town is almost suuOundc'
by burning undorbrush and in place
propcrly has been destroyed. The smok
has settled down and is almost unbcarablc
Unless relief arrives soon, through rain
there will be considerable damage done.
AZ Hone ihe fns arc nging around an
hpptonching the town. Late yesicfda
evening the smoke settled down upon th
iovn. coming from the northeast and ha
grovn thicker until now Il Is almost Fi
1ing A good deal Of fencing las bee
burned. and farmers arc fighting day an
night, trying 10 save their properly tr
day was a very gloomy day IN Hope an
will ever be known as smoky fnday.